Malaria is caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Plasmodium that infect and destroy red blood cells, leading to fever, severe anemia, cerebral malaria and, if untreated, death. Plasmodium falciparum is the dominant species in sub-Saharan Africa, and is responsible for approximately 600,000 deaths each year. The disease burden is heaviest in African children under 5 years of age and in pregnant women. Plasmodium vivax causes 25-40% of the global malaria burden, particularly in South and Southeast Asia, and Central and South America. The other three main species that are known to infect humans are Plasmodium ovale, Plasmodium knowelsi and Plasmodium malariae. Malaria is a disease that is prevalent in many developing countries. Approximately 40% of the world's population lives in countries where the disease is endemic; approximately 247 million people suffer from the disease every year.
Various medications are presently used for the treatment of malaria. However, many of these medications are costly and some exhibit significant toxicity and undesirable side effects in humans. Drugs used for treating malaria include artemisinin and its derivatives (such as artemether or dihydroartemisinin, chloroquine, quinine, mefloquine, amodiaquine, atovaquone/proguanil, doxycycline, lumefantrine, piperaquine, pyronaridine, halofantrine, pyrimethamine-sulfadoxine, primaquine, quinacrine, doxycycline, atovaquone, proguanil hydrochloride, piperaquine, ferroquine, tafenoquine, arterolane, Spiro[3H-indole-3,1′-[1H]pyrido[3,4-b]indol]-2(1H)-one, 5,7′-dichloro-6′-fluoro-2′,3′,4′,9′-tetrahydro-3′-methyl-,(1′R,3′S)-] (CAS Registry Number: 1193314-23-6), Sulfur, [4-[[2-(1,1-difluoroethyl)-5-methyl[1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidin-7-yl]amino]phenyl] pentafluoro-] (CAS Registry Number: 1282041-94-4), Morpholine, 4-[2-(4-cis-dispiro[cyclohexane-1,3′-[1,2,4] trioxolane-5′,2″-tricyclo[3.3.1.13,7]decan]-4-ylphenoxy)ethyl]-] (CAS Registry Number: 1029939-86-3).
Some aminopyrazine derivatives have been described for the treatment of malaria (WO 2013/121387).
However, the widespread emergence of drug resistance of malaria parasites in many tropical countries has compromised many of the current chemotherapies and there is a continued need for new chemotherapeutic approaches. Accordingly, this invention provides novel potent anti-malarial agents and methodology of treating malaria using novel potent anti-malarial agents.